Today is less of a recipe, more of a philosophy. A rough method, if you will.

Long time readers will know of my intense hatred of food wastage. Yes, hate is a strong word, but in this context it is warranted. I absolutely can’t stand allowing food to go bad in the fridge – it’s the reason why I keep my fridge well organised and clean pretty much all the time.

My favourite way to use up bits and bobs from the fridge and pantry is to make a salad. A chuck everything in salad.

The best way I have found to do this so that you have a successful salad each time (as opposed to a weird salad that tastes like the bottom of the fridge) is to start with a base of couscous and then build it from there. I like to keep it vegetarian, it just seems to work out that way with my fridge scraps, but leftover meat works too.

Simply pour the dry couscous into a bowl and top with the same amount of boiling water from the kettle (ie. 1 cup couscous, 1 cup boiling water). Cover with a tea towel for 5 minutes then fluff up. Now you are ready to make your salad.